Latavius Murray, Tony Romo, Josh Gordon, C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles, among others, are currently generating a lot of buzz on the fantasy wire (for different reasons), so here’s the latest on those players.
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Note: We’ll be updating our Top 200 and position rankings throughout the rest of the preseason, so check back often.
Is Latavius Murray going to be a fantasy football bust?
Murray has had a rocky August, and Raiders coach Jack Del Rio cut his playing time in the third preseason game and announced that the team needs to identify its backup. Overall, Del Rio didn’t say anything overly negative about Murray, but after a lackluster 2015 combined with the emergence of rookie DeAndre Washington this preseason (check our RB sleepers), fantasy owners are justifiably worried.
We currently have Murray ranked 18th among RBs, but it seems like he’s going to have to get off to a good start to avoid losing playing time early.
Jamaal Charles’ injury update
Charles (knee) is practicing in full, but he was held out of the Chiefs third preseason game, paving the way for Spencer Ware to post 50 total yards and score a short TD. Charles should be ready for Week 1, but as we’ve been saying all preseason, the Chiefs will likely ease him back into action early, especially with Ware (sleeper alert!) proving to be a capable backup and possible short-yardage vulture.
SN’s Vinnie Iyer recently called Charles a potential fantasy bust because of his current ADP of 16, but it’s tough to pass on the NFL’s career leader in yards per carry in the late-second or early-third round.
2016 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS: Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Tony Romo injury update
Romo broke a bone in his back during the Cowboys’ third preseason game, and early reports suggest his “best case” is to return in Week 8. As far as Romo is concerned, you can forget about him on draft day.
SN’s Vinnie Iyer wrote about Dak Prescott’s sleeper status after the Romo injury, but fantasy owners might be more worried about how Romo’s absence will affect Dez Bryant, Ezekiel Elliott, and Dallas’ other playmakers. It certainly doesn’t figure to help, but as long as Prescott can be decent, it shouldn’t lower their fantasy values too much. We’re not bumping them down our rankings just yet, but we also wouldn’t blame you if you used this as a tiebreaker between, say, Bryant and A.J. Green.
Where should Josh Gordon be drafted?
Gordon, who’s suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, continued to tease fantasy owners in his first preseason game, catching two passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. So, yeah – I guess he’s not rusty.
Obviously, only so much can be taken from one preseason game, but expect the Gordon hype to only get louder as we approach the season. We still have a tough time ranking him as a starting WR because of all the red flags he carries, but there’s nothing wrong with grabbing him as soon as you have your starting WR corps filled out.
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C.J. Anderson update
Anderson had another big preseason game on Saturday, continuing to operate as the Broncos’ clear No. 1 back. Devontae Booker also played with the first-team offense, but Anderson will get the majority of carries, at least early on.
We’ve been hesitant to give Anderson a lot of love this preseason, mainly because of his lack of production last year and the Broncos’ uncertain quarterback situation, but clearly he’s going to get the ball a lot. That’s worth plenty in fantasy circles, but if you take the plunge on Anderson, make sure to grab Booker as a handcuff.
